Adding central heat/ac

[Brad Z.]

working on a 3/1 ranch (900 sq ft) and getting estimates to add an electric heat pump (in attic) and an outside air handler. replacing baseboard heat. It will require all new electric from panel, insulated duct runs, special unit for attic, etc...Initial quotes are around 5k including all material and labor. . Thoughts?. It feels a bit high, working on a few more quotes this weekend.

[Dave Barnard]

Bradz,
$5k sounds very reasonable for what you described. In regards to Steve's post, I disagree with "Return ductwork does not need to have any insulation." ANY ductwork in a Non-Conditioned space such as an attic needs to be insulated. The Heat or Cold needs to be kept out of the ductwork.
I hope your contractor has done a MANUAL J load calculation to determine the proper sizing of the equipment. Some contractors base the size of the equipment on square footage alone. This can lead to an oversized or undersized system. If they oversize it you will pay more unnecessarily. In addition your utility bill will be higher and the system will not properly de-humidify. If undersized then it will simply not perform well.
If this is a "flip", you may have issues with your retail buyer after the sale. If this will be your residence, then obviously you want a comfortable home. Either way I would advise you to discuss this with your HVAC contractor! Hope this helps.
Dave